Grimaldi’s, Brooklyn’s Most Famous Pizza Place, Getting Evicted for Back Rent and Taxes

Today’s Wall Street Journal reports on imminent eviction proceeding for the famous Dumbo location of Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, which not only owes its landlord some $44,000 in back rent, but also owes the city $12,250 in taxes and business improvement district dues. The Old Fulton Street restaurant, tourist favorite, best pizza list-topper and late-night L Mag dinner provider has been serving pies from its rare coal-fired oven there since 1990.

But since April owner Frank Ciolli hasn’t been paying Florida-based landlord Dorothy Waxman any rent, and has accrued several fines to do with wastewater management, for which she’s had to use her tenant’s security deposit. Ciolli has tried to pay most of the late rent following an agreement in June, but Waxman’s attorneys have refused, so no matter what the pizza place will likely move out in the fall and start serving at a previously reported Chelsea location that’s already in the works. Wait, what? Greedy landlord forces Brooklyn tenant to move into Manhattan? And it’s not opposite day? (BHB)

Apparently the 86-year old landlord needs the money for her assisted living facility and Ciolli has been late on payments for years… I read an article in which Ciolli said that his rent is $8,000 a month, that doesn’t sound to greedy to me considering those lines that are always down the block.. hopefully they will get Ciolli out of there and bring in someone who can restore the pizza to what it used to be when Patsy Grimaldi ran it years ago.